BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Triple-threat T.J. Ford and his University of Texas teammates are going home — to keep playing in the NCAA tournament, that is.
Considered by some to be the best guard in college basketball, Ford scored 21 points and added nine rebounds and eight assists.
Now, he and the top-seeded Longhorns (24-6) can take their traveling party back to Texas. They’re headed to San Antonio, where they’ll take on fifth-seeded Connecticut on Friday at the Alamodome.
James Thomas contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds and Royal Ivey had 14 points as Texas reached the round of 16 for the second straight year, a first for the program.
Willie Deane scored 13 points for ninth-seeded Purdue University (19-11), which fell short of the round of 16 for the fourth time in six seasons.
In Nashville, the University of Maryland jumped ahead of Xavier University right from the start.
The defending national champion Terrapins, who got a game-winning 3-pointer from Drew Nicholas in the most exciting finish of the first round, shut down David West early and beat the Musketeers to reach the round of 16 for the third straight year.
Nicholas and Ryan Randle scored 17 points apiece for sixth-seeded Maryland (21-9).
West, the three-time Atlantic 10 player of the year, finished with 22 points and nine rebounds for No. 3 seed Xavier (26-6), but most of it came way too late.
Kentucky, Wisconsin, Marquette and Pittsburgh advanced to the Sweet 16 from the Midwest. Arizona, Notre Dame, Duke and Kansas will represent the West bracket. Conneticut and Michigan State will join Texas and Maryland from the South, and Oklahoma, Butler, Auburn and Syracuse will advance from the East bracket.